Never Too Late
by AmBEr aka BDBH
Summary: ONESHOT:The way she had said it, phrased it so badly: You still love her, it was so unambiguous, so clearly stated out that it actually made me feel ill for a little moment. DMHG


Hello! I had a suddenly inspiration when I was reading Meg Cabot's _Every Boy's Got One_...(again.) I do hope that all of you will enjoy this! Please R & R! 

Summary: The way she had said it, phrased it so badly: _You still love her_, it was so unambiguous, so clearly stated out that it actually made me feel ill for a little moment.

Disclaimer: This is not mine.

**Never Too Late**  
By Amber

* * *

**Hermione's POV**

We stood facing each other; he looked at me before dropping his gaze. "Look, Hermione," he started, gaze still locked to the ground. "This is just-"

"Not working," I completed his sentence for him.

He ran his hand through his silvery hair, his gaze shifted and I caught the hurt in his eyes. "I just think they're too many…obstacles."

I had already expected this a while ago, first the shorter kisses then the absence of his body next to mine in the morning. This didn't come as a shock to me at all.

"Your parents," I offered. But, oh, did it hurt.

"Potter and Weasley," He answered, nodding his head in agreement.

"The Slytherins," I said pointlessly.

"The Gryffindors," he said, taking a step towards me and picking up my hand.

"Voldemort." Both of us said in unison.

He smiled at me sadly, "I hope you understand, Mione. I just don't think this would've worked as much as we wanted it to."

Who was this guy trying to kid? "Of course, I understand."

"Just one question," I asked after a slight moment of silence.

His smiled widened, obviously knowing what was on my mind.

Both of us asked at the same time. "Can we still be friends?"

* * *

We started dating at the end of sixth year. Harry was still having his lessons with Professor Dumbledore and both of them were still trying to find where Voldemort and the Death Eater's headquarters was.

Draco and I had started talking when I met him on a beach near my home. Apparently his mother had managed to talk Draco's father into letting him go into the muggle word to experience it for himself before he had to do his service for the Dark Lord.

We continued to meet at the same spot everyday, unknown to his parents who remained in the house that they had rented.

I had sensed a change in him that I couldn't describe, he wasn't the arrogant, self-absorbed, egoistic prick that I had always known him be. Instead it was as if I was meeting the other side of Draco Malfoy, the side that cared about others, the side that didn't look down on muggle-borns. The side that didn't come out at Hogwarts.

By the end of that summer, we were an unofficial couple, and the first day we went back to Hogwarts he had made it clear over dinner when he had kissed me right in the middle of the Great Hall.

Not surprisingly, no one was exceptionally proud of the newest couple in Hogwarts. The Slytherins started to mock Draco during the first few weeks. But Draco, like me, had been made the Head Prefect and as allowed to give out detentions to anyone he wanted. And every time someone offended him, he would simply give the person detention, and because of the Slytherin Pride, the person wouldn't say a word to the teachers. Draco didn't seem to care whether or not it was his house or not and I was thankful for that.

Of course, after awhile they stopped insulting Draco because his detentions always clashed with the Slytherin House's training. He knew when their training was, of course, being their captain.

The only true friends that remained by his side were Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy and Blaise. Crabbe and Goyle being too thick to understand anything and followed Draco around just for the sake of following him. Pansy was Draco's good friend and respected his decision, much to my astonishment, I had actually prepared myself for the worst when she saw us kiss, but she had simply continued eating as if nothing had happened. But I could swear that she gave me a small smile when she passed me the next day. Blaise couldn't really care less, dating a Gryffindor himself, Ginny Weasley, much to Harry and Ron's disappointment; she refused to break up with him.

Harry and Ron didn't take the news too easily either; both of them had made a mad dash towards Draco after we finished our kiss in the Great Hall. But I had broke them off with a simple levitation spell and talked to them in the Common Room. In the end Harry had decided to respect my decision while Ron needed a bit more persuading, but I didn't mind.

But it wasn't easy, having to make sure that out relationship stayed within the castle and if Draco's father got the wind of the fact that Draco and I were going out, it would have been disastrous. But at the very least we had our own Head's common room for our privacy, and to be away from the rest of the school.

The next morning, we made it clear that we had broken up, I had simply told Lavender and made sure that some other girls had heard it and it simply spread like wildfire.

A week later, much to my surprise, Justin Finch-Fletchley had come to the library and had nervously asked me out. I had agreed, not wanting to sound rude, after all, it was after my breakup already and I was supposed to be over Draco Malfoy.

He took me to a nice, dim-lighted restaurant, the first one that Draco had brought me when we had come back from the summer holidays. When I mentioned his to him he had smiled at me awkwardly and had this look in first eye that I couldn't place.

I ordered the same thing I had when I went there with Draco, Justin suddenly started to talk to me about school and his family, some of his topics were the same as Draco's when we came here the last time. When I told him both these things he had given me the same lopsided grin and the thoughtful glint in his eyes came back.

It wasn't until we were walking back to Hogwarts when I realised what I wrong. Justin had grabbed my hand to stop my walking, asking, "Hermione, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah?" I asked, my mind not really listening to him, instead, I was thinking about the time Draco had kissed me for the very first time right smack in the middle of this very street.

But his question brought my right back into reality, "You still love him, don't you?"

Oh, God help me.

* * *

**Draco's POV**

I didn't mean to break up with her, honestly. I had given her one of the most pointless excuses ever: obstacles.

Yeah, right.

My father had almost found out about our relationship, he had come to visit me in school one day when I was in her room, I had to make her literally use a spell to throw me out, then explain it to my father that I had thought she had taken something of mine and had simply gone in at the wrong time.

If he had opened the door a few seconds earlier Hermione would've been dead by morning.

If he wanted to kill me slowly he was doing a damned good job of it. I couldn't live without her, but I had to let her go just for her safety.

I've already made it clear to my father that I didn't want to join the Dark Lord and I suppose this is my punishment. But I'd rather live through this is join the pointless war. Apparently Voldemort doesn't have the quote "Light always wins." in that small, egged-shaped head of his.

Why can't blasted Potter find the Voldemort and kill him already?

I had to talk to someone, so I decided to go to Pansy, since Blaise always seemed to be busy, no doubt with that girlfriend of his, Ginny Weasley. If his father could accept the fact that he didn't want to be in the war why the hell couldn't mine!

I had told Pansy everything since the very beginning, she was like my sister, and the only person I trusted more than her was Hermione. The thing about talking the Pansy is that she never interrupts, and sometimes that's all I need.

"I see," she said, after listening to what I had to say about my father and Hermione, which happened to include a lot of colorful words. "So, you broke up with her," she said slowly, as if trying to make me understand the idiocy of my words. "Telling her that there were to many 'obstacles' and yet…" she trailed off for a second.

"You still love her."

And there it was.

The way she had said it, phrased it so badly: _You still love her_, it was so unambiguous, so clearly stated out that it actually made me feel ill for a little moment.

But it made me feel ill in a _good_ way.

How could I have been so stupid to let the most important thing in my entire life slip away? How could I have been so stupid to _throw it away myself? _

As I sat there, letting comprehension dawn on me that just a week ago I had made the most important thing in my life get away from me when it had been mine for 6 months, Pansy reached over, placed a comforting hand on my shoulder and walked off, knowing that she had proven a point.

I looked up at the clock in the Slytherin common room, as I saw the hour-hand strike 11, I leaped up, knowing, _hoping_ that she would be where we always went to talk. I had only one objective on my mind, and _nothing_ was about to get in my way.

Not anymore.

* * *

**Hermione's POV**

I don't remember how I managed to shake Justin off, he was right, of course, that I still loved Draco. You can't just forget the times that you had together with your ex-boyfriend in a _week_.

I couldn't even remember stumbling back to school because I had started crying, all I wanted was some privacy, and I knew just where to go.

* * *

Hermione was sitting near the window when he came up, panting from the fact that he had run all the way. Tears were falling from her eyes as she cried silently, her hair falling across her back and her eyes looking at the night sky as if blaming it for her sadness.

"Hermione?" He started uneasily, wondering why she was crying.

She jumped, apparently not having heard his entrance, "Draco!" she cried out, her eyes widening as she started to dry her tears as quickly as possible.

"What's wrong, Mione?" He asked, eyes narrowing at the thought of someone making her this way. Then he remembered the rumor that had spread around the school that she was going out with Justin Finch-Fletchley that night. "It's Justin isn't? He did some-"

"No, it's not Justin, Draco." She cut in agitatedly, "It's you."

"Me?" Draco asked,eyes widening inconfusion. "I didn't do anything."

Hermione looked into his eyes her own pleading for him to understand, "I still love you, Draco. I don't care how many obstacles there are in our relationship, we can get through it together no matter how tough. I don't care, Draco. I still love you." She paused, "But, you don't want me anymore."

Draco smiled, his mind seemed to be suddenly cleared of his troubles, whatever weight that was on his chest since their breakup was gone, whatever he had been worrying about vanished instantly. _He wasn't too late._

"Hermione," he said soothingly, grabbing her and pulling her towards him into a tight embrace, "I still love you." Then, after a thought, added, "I want you more than you could imagine."

She gasped, her eyes widened in surprise, "Then why-?"

Draco looked at the ground between their bodies, "I was tying to protect you. But I realised only today that if Lucius found out that we were together in the past he'd kill you anyway, and I wouldn't be able to protect you. I was only afraid that I was too late to get you back."

Hermione smiled, her eyes shinning through a coat of tears, "Draco," she said as she pulled him closer to her, "You could never be too late."

His mouth captured hers into a tender kiss that became more passionate with every second that passed.

Draco knew that he could always be there to protect her when troubles arose, besides, Draco thought as his hand moved up her shirt and Hermione sighed, he knew a fair share of curses himself.

And he thought no more.

* * *

How was it?

Tell me what you think?

Lots of Love,

Amber


End file.
